Penetrating Vessel: Channel of Family & Soul Growth

Tuesday, June 6

Our final of the Eight Extraordinary channels, is the Chong Mai , AKA the Penetrating Vessel. This channel originates in the same area of the Ren and Du meridians, it travels through the uterus, and out the lower abdomen. It parallels the Ren channel that runs midline of the body, goes up through the chest, flows through the throat, around the mouth and to the forehead. It also has two other branches, one that travels the spine to the lower portion of the back and one that flows down toward the foot splitting into two more branches that follow 2 other meridians in the body.

As with the other channels, it affects the areas through which it courses. You can have issues that deal with digestion, respiration, heart, abdomen, reproduction, inner leg issues, etc. One of the primary functions that the Chong Mai is to regulate the flow of qi and blood in the 12 regular meridians, therefore it becomes significant to treat menstrual and/or reproductive issues as well as digestive and heart issues, it is known as the “Sea of Blood”. Here’s kind of a fun aside, this channel helps to balance what is called rebellious qi, it’s when the qi or energy travels in an opposing direction to which it is meant to go, think hiccups or burping, or everything seemingly going awry in your life.

Now we get into what I find the extremely fascinating portion of this channel. I like the English name of Penetrating Vessel as I feel it reflects deeply the purpose of this channel. Some synonyms for penetrating are: powerful, strong, piercing and perceptive and I find all of them very fitting for the emotional, mental, and particularly spiritual aspect of this channel. It indicates something extremely deep, as in profound, perhaps into depths that we cannot even fathom.

Again, think of the route of this channel, starting in the fire that creates all life and traveling straight to the uterus and through the heart. The birthing place of creativity and emotions, places where something powerful is happening within and around us that transcends space and time. Its connections are to family heritage, DNA/blueprints of life, cellular memory, who you are (your relationship and comfort level to yourself).

This channel carries the “oldest of pains”, in relationship to DNA and epigenetics. What I mean by that what some people would call karma and others would call inherited traits. It is what you bring in with you to this world, the lessons to learn, familial challenges, the things to move through in this lifetime toward your spiritual growth.

In the yogic tradition or Ayurveda it is associated with the heart chakra, it relates to love, relating, compassion, transformation, and discernment, among other things.

Are you feeling imbalance in your life simply from life experience? Or how about just a feeling of unrest which you cannot explain? Do you struggle with addictions, family of origin issues, or assimilating information and experiences into your life. Have you ever been affected by sexual abuse? Some of these subjects and issues run deep, as indicated before. They are life long, they affect all areas of your life, and they are powerful.

The process of creating and finding peace in your life doesn’t have to be done alone. This walk of life we are taking is profound and best done together. We are here to help, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and guided imagery therapy all ways in which we can best help you find peace.